There are generally two different kinds of tools that allow visitors to subscribe to RSS feeds. These tools are known as aggregators, or RSS news readers. As the content of an RSS feed changes, the RSS reader/aggregator will update itself automatically and display the new RSS feed items.

There are two types of aggregators -- desktop aggregators, and web-based aggregators...

Desktop Aggregators

These are downloadable desktop applications that contain all of the RSS subscriptions. In most cases, you can group and categorize the RSS feeds that you subscribe to. When open, the RSS desktop reader will update all the RSS feeds that you have subscribed to, and new posts will appear in the RSS reader.

Web-Based Aggregators

Web-based RSS aggregators are applications that reside online, through which you can subscribe to RSS feeds. The feeds are displayed on a webpage using a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. For example, one of the more popular web-based aggregators is Google Reader.

How To Subscribe To An RSS Feed

In order to subscribe to an RSS feed, look for the RSS icon on the websites you visit. Find the URL for the RSS feed, and paste it into your RSS reader and subscribe to it.

Many web browsers, such as Firefox, include auto-discovery features which will automatically detect RSS feeds. With those browsers, you will see an RSS icon in the left-hand side of the URL box -- just click the icon to obtain the link to the RSS feed.

Once subscribed, the aggregator or reader will periodically check to see if the RSS feed has been updated.